GRA-SML deal: MFWA to petition RTI Commission over presidency’s refusal to publish full report

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has decalred its decision to submit a petition to the RTI Commission over the Presidency's decision to withhold the complete KPMG audit report on the contentious Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) contract.

Sulemana Braimah, the Executive Director of the Foundation, expressed disagreement with the presidency's refusal and

Read full articlethe reasoning provided for denying the Right to Information (RTI) request for the report.

In an interview on PM Express on JoyNews, Braimah argued that since the report has already been deliberated upon and the President has issued opinions and directives, its release would not adversely affect his stance, contrary to the claim made.

"We're actually submitting a petition to the RTI Commission tomorrow (Tuesday), challenging the decision of the presidency on our request," he announced.

This development follows the Presidency's rejection of an RTI application from MFWA seeking the full KPMG audit report on the revenue mobilisation agreement between GRA and SML.

Citing section 5 (1) (a) and (b) (i) of the RTI Act, the Presidency asserted its right to decline requests for information deemed sensitive. It deemed the KPMG report to contain such sensitive information.

However, Braimah believes the President misinterpreted section five of the RTI Act, which grants the right to reject requests for crucial information like the KPMG report.